This group of 16 women has been together since December 15, 2008, the date when their Banc Villageois was founded. The leader of the group is a widow named Coumba who has five children in her care. She runs a small business selling shoes, fabric and small pouches. She purchases her supplies in the capital and then resells them in her village. Coumba started her business with the help of CAURIE Microfinance, who came to her village in late 2008. With the income she earns, Coumba wants to increase her savings and pay for her family's expenses.

Additional Information

About CAURIE Micro Finance

The mission of CAURIE Micro Finance is to contribute sustainably and to offer microfinance services adapted to impoverished micro-entrepreneurs, primarily women, based on the principles of ‘credit for the poor’ and on microfinance best practices, all while investing in order to become financially independent.

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.